Wander
by rikoxriko
Summary: Asami and Suigetsu are finally free from Team Hebi, and are now ready to do whatever they want whenever they want. But conflict and their pasts haunt them as they wander through the ninja world. Sequal to Automatic, Suigetsu/OC
1. Attack

She let out a scream of despair and shoved her foot into the post next to her. Smoke seemed to be fuming from her ears and her face was as red as a cherry.

She was angry, so it was best to back away for a while.

"SUIGETSU! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING ME!!" I turned from her, annoyed.

"Somebody's PMSing…" Suddenly I felt my face form into water, Asami's hand gliding through the air. My face quickly reformed to it's normal position, however, so it was fine that I was her punching bag - for the moment. There were some places I couldn't get hit and it being painless. Of course, Asami and I were…intimate? Is that the word I'm looking for? So she wouldn't do that.

I hope.

"Okay Asami. Give me the map."

"No."

"Asami……"

"We'll ask for directions."

I glanced around the barren landscape around us, sighing. We had been going in circles for the past couple of days in this place, Asami refusing to give me the map, keeping it in her clutches even while she slept. "And who, do you suppose, that we ask for the directions? I don't see anything living besides plants, and there's only about three of those. So unless you sprout a flower on the top of your head and learn to speak with our green friends there, we've got no one to help us."

Without even looking, I could feel her glare rest on me, seeming to burn a hole in my skin. This was our second day of the second week of traveling, and though we weren't going anywhere in particular, we still managed to get lost. Although, I had to admit that living off the land and not having to listen to any orders was pretty nice. Asami, though she was in a bad mood, never stayed like that for long. She was never telling me what to do, just asking favors or giving suggestions on what to do. I could always say no, but why? I didn't want to argue with her even on her good days. It's like that saying that says 'Hell ain't got nothing on a woman's anger'. Or something like that.

"Suigetsu, you have a point…but I think we should go somewhere else. I mean, why did we want to go to the Hidden Rock Village anyway?" She sputtered, obviously trying to pass off something that she had thought of.

"So…where do you want to go then?" Folding my arms behind my head, I glanced over to her, looking her up and down, just enjoying the sight of her.

"Hm…well, I really need to relax. I'm stressing and we're basically rurouni. Besides, of course, the fact that we're ninjas…" Pausing, she stood in the road for a moment, and then nodded twice and started walking again. "We're off to find a hot spring!"

Immediately I rolled my eyes, yet ran after her. What fun this will be.

_Asami's Point of View_

"Ah…nothing beats a hot spring." Sinking into the murky water so my nose barely touched the surface. The warmth sent a tingling feeling through my body down to my toes. Smiling to myself, I leaned back, enjoying the day. The sky was blue, the birds were singing, and I was in a good mood. Plus, I finally had some alone time since I had joined Suigetsu. It was a miracle in itself, so I didn't plan on taking it for granted.

"Asami, could you hurry up?" Suigetsu yelled over the wall at me, agitated.

"It's not my fault you refuse to bathe. You should do it to relax."

"Um, hello! I'm water constantly!" Hearing the tapping of feet, laughter erupted from my throat.

"I'm freaking made of ICE Suigetsu. I could melt you know!"

The tapping stopped. "Don't even talk like that."

Running my fingers through my hair, I sighed. "Now look what you've done Suigetsu. You've spoiled my good mood. I should hurt you for that." I dragged my finger across the surface of the water, watching the ripples collide with each other.

Catching my breath, I saw a shadow in the water, and a second later I had a gash down my arm, the kunai to blame sinking to the bottom of the pool. Blood dripped into the water, making clouds of red, tinting the small circle around me a pinkish color.

"Suigetsu…we've got company." Looking up, my assumptions were proven correct. There was a dark figure sailing towards me from above, dark cloaks billowing around the character. In his hands were more kunai.

"Shit. Above!" Moving to get out of the pool, I quickly realized I was…well, I was naked. Son of a…

"Asami, I'm coming in!" Bursting through the door came Suigetsu, his sword out. I sunk into the water lower, putting ice over my wound. Suigetsu jumped, clashing swords with the rouge ninja, the antagonist grunting.

"Suigetsu, if you look up, I'm going to kill you, do you understand me?"

He didn't reply and kept his glare locked on his opponent. I could hear his teeth gritting, the canines squealing.

Glancing down at my wound, the ice was turning an unsightly color of pink. I hadn't realized the gash was so deep. Pushing the water around, I found the kunai lodged in between two rocks. I stretched my arm out as far as I could, trying to grab the weapon and inspect it. It was odd that a simple kunai had slid that deep through my thick, cold skin. My fingers were inches away from it, and as I gritted my teeth, I finally reached it. Pulling it out of the quickly darkening water, I turned it over in my hand.

It was a steely grey, and the knife part was etched with notches and barbs, and was very long. It was made for shattering hard things like wood, concrete, or ice.

Glancing up, I saw that the two had left the air, and, after a second of looking around, I learned that they were now outside of the fenced-off hot spring area. Jumping out of the water, I sprinted into the dressing room, throwing on my clothes and wringing out my hair. After throwing the kunai in my backpack, I grabbed my sword and ran out, jumping clear over the fence.

I landed right next to the other ninja slicing my already unsheathed sword through his neck. Silently, the assassin fell, and before hitting the dirt was overcome with a cloud of smoke. Sighing, I slipped my sword into its sheath, inspecting my wound. The blood from it was running down my arm and dripping off of my fingertips. While I had changed it had stained the sleeves of my cloak.

"Asami…"

"I'm fine. Look." Pointing one of my not bloodied fingers at the figure through the disappearing smoke, my focus pointed to the substitution. The person before us was not the assassin, but a small child. The assassin had used a substitution so he wouldn't die in battle. I choked. I had just killed an innocent child in cold blood.

My knees buckled, and the ground started to fly toward me, but strong arms caught me before I fell all the way.

"Asami, it's not your fault, you didn't know. I didn't know. There was no way we could have…"

I slammed my fist on the ground, biting my lower lip to bite back tears. Why in hell's name was I so freaking emotional? Suigetsu let me sit, and then knelt beside me, embracing me and stroking my hair.

"Asami, don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of this. Don't worry. Whoever is trying to harm you isn't going to succeed."

Pushing my head into the crook of his neck, I let myself look away from the small boy I had killed. What heartless man could do that to such a young and innocent soul? The child looked only five or six.

Whoever had done this was going to pay.

**Hey everybody, I'm so glad this chapter is up. I think it's a good way to start a new series. (I tried forever and a day to start without conflict, but that's too hard, and too normal. Conflict is the number one cause for apologies you know. ;)**

**And for all of you that were confused at Suigetsu's quote mix up - it's really 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. But Suigetsu probably would find it too difficult to put the hath and scorn in there, so I made it his.**


	2. Gone

I watched as Suigetsu ripped off a piece of cloth to wrap around my arm. We were sitting on some rocks near the hot spring, which we were promptly thrown out of for fighting. They didn't even offer to help me and Suigetsu with the young boy.

Suigetsu had carried him to a cliff overlooking a beautiful sunset, and we buried him there. It was now clearly night time, and Suigetsu was complaining that my cut was probably infected from not being treated immediately. I had assured him I wouldn't be aided until the boy was taken care of.

"Asami, I'm done." A cool hand stoked my forehead. "Babe, you need to stop worrying. It isn't your fault."

"I know that."

"Then why..."

"I'm trying to figure out why someone would do that to a child." Sighing, I covered my face with my hands. They were clammy and shaking, which was something I was not used to.

"Don't worry. We'll figure this out." A hand was pulled from my face, and lips touched my knuckles. I closed my eyes, trying to collect myself from my close to insanity state. In my backpack was the evidence I need to find the murderer, yet I couldn't figure it out. How was I going to find someone with only a knife and my intuition?

Slowly, I opened my eyes, and they rested on my unopened bag. Unzipping it slowly, I caught a glimpse of the metal and pulled it out.

"Where'd you get that?"

"It's the knife that I was attacked with. It's shaped like a pick almost, so this person must know my secret." Knitting my eyebrows, I looked at the carved in patterns, trying to figure out what they were.

"That's odd." Grabbing the knife from my hands carefully, Suigetsu held it up to the light, squinting. "I've seen these marking somewhere before."

"What?"

"They remind me of ones from a village I once went to…." Trailing off, Suigetsu stared, transfixed by the markings. "Imori…."

"Say what?"

"The village…there was a good friend of my family's there…"

"And one of them is named Imori I presume?"

"Yeah…" Saying no more, I assumed he was lost in his memories.

"Wait…why would someone from that village attack me? I mean, I did nothing wrong….did I?"

Suigetsu grinned. "Who knows?"

"This is serious Suigetsu." Frowning, I took the kunai from him, pouting. Of course he would joke at a time like this. He's…he's Suigetsu. That's for sure.

"I know, I know. Look, we'll get down to the bottom of this as soon as we can. I promised, remember?"

Tapping my finger on my chin, I started to smile wryly. "How about we start looking in this village of yours?"

Immediately, Suigetsu straightened and shook his head violently.

"Well, why not? I mean, if you have any connections there, we could find the murderer even faster and then get on with our lives. Right?" Hook.

"I don't think it's a good idea…"

"Come on. If it's people you know, obviously there's not going to be any trouble…" Line.

Biting his lip, Suigetsu stared at me for a long while. I kept a straight face, trying to look innocent while still being the assertive me. Finally he consented.

"Fine." And, there folks, we have a sinker.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to know about your good friends past, and when they won't tell you on their own, it's time for some snooping. I was extremely good at this, and I enjoyed it as well.

"But…" Crap.

"What?" I asked nonchalantly, trying not to sound anxious.

"No more hot springs."

Laughing, I let Suigetsu helped me up and lead me down the dirt road to this mysterious village. But in the back of my mind harbored the memory of the little boy, laying crumpled in the dirt.

Suigetsu

"_Why Suigetsu…why have you betrayed me?" The tiny girl stared at him accusingly, her face splattered with blood and bruises. Her white hair was tainted with the crimson coming from her head, and her usually sparkling grey eyes were dull and empty._

"_Imori!"_

"Ah!" Breathing heavily, I watched my dream go by in my mind again, a memory from long ago. "A dream…"

"Suigetsu?" Asami's pale eyes winced, the bags under them clear in the moonlight. Her hair was ruffled and tangled, her pillow slightly damp. _She must have taken a quick bath in the river…_ Slowly making her way out of her bed roll, she crawled over to me, wrapping her thin arms around my stomach. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Her words were slurred together, and I could feel her falling asleep in my lap.

"Go to sleep Asami…it's nothing." Rubbing her back, I watched her slump her shoulders.

"Okay…" Falling over, her head rested on my pillow, eyes closed and chest moving from her shallow breathing. I smiled. She was so innocent…

A hand reached up to my arm, pulling me down next to their owner. Rolling over, Asami peered at me through half-lidded eyes. "Don't worry…I'm here." Running a cold hand through my hair, she closed her eyes, smiling. I couldn't help but mirror the action. Letting my arm fall over her small body, I slipped into a dreamless sleep, surrounded by the scent of bamboo and oranges.

Sunlight's fingers forced my eyes open, and the first thing I saw were Asami's beautiful eyes watching me, dancing and sparkling. "Good morning sunshine." Grinning, she lifted herself up, knowing my eyes were following her every move. Why was she up so early?

Stretching, she yawned and started to roll up her unused bedroll, which confused me more. Usually she wouldn't just sit around and watch someone sleep. For a ninja, Asami had the attention span of a squirrel on pot. "So! Where are we going?"

"You know where we're going Asami…you're the one who decided that after the little boy was attacked…" Asami was frowning as I trailed off, staring at me curiously.

"Who're you talking about, little boy? It's only you and me here buddy!" Throwing her arms up and spinning around, she was laughing like a little five-year-old. "We're camping in the wilderness like badgers!"

I swear my eye twitched. "Excuse me? If this is your way with coping with something tragic, I can think of way better things for you."

Blinking, she regarded me with more curiosity. "What happened? Did someone get hurt?"

My mouth dropped open. "You're insane!"

"Stupid is as stupid does sir!" Winking at me, she leaned down and tweaked my nose, grinning like a fool.

"What the…"

She began twirling around, laughing and singing some catchy tune in a slightly deafening pitch. I was so confused. I mean, this girl usually was composed and serious, and sarcastic if the time called for it, but never like this.

Suddenly, she stopped her twirling and stared at me for a few seconds. Then she bounded over, grabbing my hands. "Dance with me!"

"Excuse me?"

"Let's dance!" She let go and laughed again, spinning on her heel.

I couldn't help but stare again. What in the world happened to her?

She rushed at me again, knocking me to the ground. I closed my eyes during the fall, and when I felt my back hit the dirt, I also felt something heavy sitting on my chest. There was a scent of watermelon close to me. _'Wait, watermelon?'_

I opened one eye tentatively and saw a girl leaning close to my face, her hair tickling my neck as it fell past her shoulders. She peeked at me through pink eyes. And her hair was blonde.

I knew this girl, and it wasn't Asami. "Imori," I breathed, wondering what the hell she was doing here.

Tipping her head back, she laughed, her high voice going up into the air. "It's been a while Sui-kun."

I scowled at the nickname. "Don't call me that." Pushing her roughly off of me, I glanced around to see where Asami was.

"She's not here, if that's who you're looking for." I looked at her sharply, my eyes narrowing.

"Where is she Imori?"

"Oh don't get that face with me hun, you brought this on yourself." She waved her hand in the air, brushing herself off with the other. She was wearing her usual bright blue tunic with black shorts that came to her knees, her muscles visible from months of training as a ninja.

"Where is she?" Grabbing her shoulders, I shook them hard, and her pink eyes filled with hesitation quickly. But she regained herself.

"I'm not telling you. You should be proud you know! I finally got that weirdo off of your hands." She lightly took my hands in her own and inspected them closely. "Just as rough as always…you know, it's really sexy, the way your hands are like this." Raising her hands and mine, she placed them against her cheek, which was soft and smooth.

I pulled my hands from hers. "Tell me Imori." My tone was harsh and cold. Exactly how I wanted it.

She just shrugged. I was tempted to slap her.

"You'll have to find her yourself Suigetsu. But mark my words, I'm not going to make it easy for you. Ciao!" With that she dematerialized in a haze of mist, a trademark ninjutsu from her village.

_'This is so not good.'_

_

* * *

_

**Okay. I am so so so sooooooooooooooooooooo sorry this took so long. I think I told ya'll that it might take a while, but I've been so..so busy. And I've had a case of untimely writer's block which is still going on, so if this sucks, tell me and I'll fix it later. Kay? Thanks, **

**~Riko 3**


	3. Take

Imori stared at the fire, her pink eyes beginning to fill with tears. Across the flames, Asami watched her intently, fairly confused as to why her captor was beginning to cry.

Looking up, Imori noticed Asami's gaze, and stood abruptly. She stomped over to her hostage.

"Why would he pick you?" Asami stared at her, dumbstruck. "What do you have that _I _don't?"

Asami was tempted to roll her eyes, but given her disadvantage in the current situation, she thought better of it. So she just watched the strange girl in front of her with the same stoic look as before.

Imori grabbed Asami's chin roughly, inspecting her closely. _'Brown hair and green eyes. How uncomfortably mundane.' _But even Imori couldn't ignore the obvious. The way Suigetsu had reacted was extreme. Never had he treated anyone he wasn't in battle against so roughly. And when she had found them that night…

Imori dropped her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. _'Why am I doing this?' _

Asami watched as her captor struggled to keep her thoughts straight. A glint in her peripheral vision pushed Asami's attention to Imori's waist, where a kunai, a match of the one that cut her the previous day, hung at her belt.

A realization dawned upon Asami. "You're Imori."

At Asami's words, Imori dropped her hand abruptly and stared at her hostage. "He's talked about me before?"

Asami's eyes narrowed. "That kunai of yours must be hard to come by. It's pretty similar to an ice pick, isn't it?" Imori stared at her with cold eyes, her hand circling around the weapon. The two women stared at each other, the murderous looks in their eyes mirrored.

Finally, the silence was broken.

"I've known him my whole life. You don't even know him."

"People change. You haven't known him his whole life; he's been gone for what? Eight years?" Asami watched Imori's pink eyes waver.

"Nine."

"Excuse me?"

"He was gone nine years!" Tears fell from the blonde girl's eyes, eyeliner leaving streaks on her face. "And now I _finally _find him again and he has _you._" Hatred and jealousy radiated from her, all directed at Asami. "You don't deserve him!"

"And you think you do? If you think Suigetsu's some prince charming, or a romantic type of person, he's not! You're making assumptions!"

"You don't-"

"No. I know him." Asami stared coldly at the hysteric girl in front of her. "I have spent nine years of my life in the same room as him. I've watched him grow. I may not know his past, but I know him now. People change. Just because you knew him before doesn't mean you know him now."

Imori peered at the calm individual in front of her. The fire was lighting her face in a ferocious way, making her soft face seem more angled and sophisticated. She was beautiful, and Imori knew it. Not breathtaking in daylight, but by a fire, her beauty was brought out.

'_Now I understand,' _Imori thought to herself. _'She's pretty and wise…and she was there when Suigetsu needed someone.' _

"Imori, I see you've done your job." Out from the shadows came a hooded figure, with a familiar voice to both of the girls.

Imori bowed slightly at the sight of her employer and held a hand out for the sack of money that was held out to her. The sack was dropped without hesitation, and the hooded man walked over to Asami, whom stared at him quietly, trying to place where she remembered the voice.

"It has been a while Asami. I'm glad to see you're still as radiant as ever." The girl's eyes narrowed at the statement, still pondering on who it could possibly be.

Finally the figure reached up to take the hood off, and Asami was faced with her old captor's number one henchman. His eyes had the same shape as his former master, and snakes slithered up around his neck, entangling themselves in his silvery hair. The glasses that originally stood on his nose were gone, his new slatted eyes giving him exceptional vision.

The urge to run from this beast of her past was engulfing Asami, but, being bound at the wrists and ankles, doing so was difficult. Everything was at a standstill, and Asami didn't even notice Imori silently slip into the night.

"Still speechless? I don't blame you. Who knew that taking Orochimaru's power would transform me so…usefully?" The man inched closer to Asami, a hungry look in his eye that pierced Asami to the bones.

"K-Kabuto.." He was once somewhat gentle, caring about how the experiments were treated, but now he was cold and sinister, just like his master. Asami tried to inch away from him, but with one stride he caught up with her and stepped over her. As he looked down, he brought out a small vial with red liquid in it.

He knelt down next to the girl, grabbed her jaw, and yanked it open. She struggled, but she failed to keep the strange potion from going down her throat. A rough thumb forced her to swallow.

"What…do you want from me?"She managed to choke out the words, and at them Kabuto smiled sinisterly.

"Why my dear, I don't want anything _from_ you." He leaned in, his voice tickling her ear. "I just want _you_."

* * *

Asami's world faded from the outsides in, her last sight Kabuto, a slight smirk on his face.

Imori watched from the shadows as Kabuto hoisted his unconscious prize onto his back, smiling wickedly. "She will be an excellent toy." He was muttering things to himself, and Imori had the sinking feeling in her stomach that she had made a horrible mistake.

Something horrible was going to happen to Asami, and if Imori knew anything, she knew she should tell Suigetsu. And by damn, she would.

* * *

"Please! I need your help!"

"You're not supposed to be here! Where's Asami anyway, she get too annoyed by you or something?" The red head pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, looking into the window of the perfume shop.

"Karin, this is really important! She's been kidnapped and I need you to help me find her!" Suigetsu grabbed her shoulders roughly and shook her, pleading with his eyes.

Karin could tell he was desperate. She had never seen the cool, calm, and collected asshole this frazzled. She knew if she didn't help him, he would never leave him alone. But still, she despised his every move and his very existence.

"I can't leave Sasuke. We're collecting information for the Akatsuki." She tried to walk away from him, but he barred her way with his body, his sword on his back blocking any chance of ducking past him. Karin sighed, annoyed. Behind her was a dead end; she wasn't quite sure how Suigetsu had even found her here.

Shifting her weight from one foot to another, she peered impatiently at the mist-nin, wanting a complete explanation as to why his 'girlfriend' suddenly just slipped from his fingertips.

Just as he opened his mouth to explain to Karin, behind her came a puff of smoke, and from the dark gasses came Imori, pink eyes filled with anxiousness. "Suigetsu!" Shoving Karin out of her way, Imori rushed up to her old friend, getting a puzzled and slightly frazzled glare from the red head.

"Imori!" Suigetsu practically growled the blonde's name, reaching for his sword.

"No wait! I…You have to save Asami! You see, I was hired by Kabuto to capture her, and when he carried her off…I think he'll-"

"Kabuto?" Karin, still quite behind on what was going on, stared at the odd couple that were strangely familiar with each other. She watched as Suigetsu stared at the blonde, contemplating in his mind what to do.

'_If what Imori says is true, then I have less time than I thought…what if he-' _His thoughts were interrupted by Imori grabbing his forearm and pulling him out of the alleyway, beckoning for Karin to follow.

"I can take you to where we met, but you'll have to find him from there." Just as Imori was making the hand signs for her transportation jutsu, Karin did something unexpected.

"Wait. I'm coming too. Can you bring me as well?" Suigetsu stared at her as if she had said something along the lines of 'I hate Sasuke'. Karin shrugged. "It seems like you'll need my help…and I need to have a talking-to with Kabuto."

Suigetsu thanked her quietly and then turned to Imori. "You better not be shitting me right now."

Imori shook her head roughly. _'I want to be someone you can learn to trust…I won't give up hope.' _

* * *

**Hi everyone! I'm sorry this took so long…this once-leisurely story is turning into quite the…drama. I'm probably going to put up the ratings…for reasons some of you have probably already guessed. I need ideas, so please, if you have any, I would greatly appreciate it! **

**Love, **

**~Riko **


	4. Push

**PLEASE READ. Okay, so if you don't like all the graphic stuff, just skip to the next chapter…you'll miss a few things that effect Asami in the future, but you won't completely miss anything necessary to the plot. But otherwise, this is my first…uh…lime. Yeah, let's go with that. Give me feedback? Maybe? No? Why?**

**Okay, I got a little off-track there, but seriously. If you guys could give me feedback and/or advice, it would be much obliged. ****Thanks!**

**~Riko **

* * *

When Asami woke, her feet were chained to the floor by her ankles, and her wrists were suspended in the air with the same type of chains. She was wearing a red, lacey bra that barely covered anything, and matching underwear that covered about the same area as the top.

"I wouldn't try to use your chakra. It's sealed away, and if you strain yourself too much, you might die."

Across the room, sitting in a plush armchair was Kabuto, shirtless and wearing boxers, the same fire-red as Asami's own garb. Her glare at her captor was filled with fire, which made him chuckle with delight. "You really are flawless. I must say." He slinked over, snakes following his every move on the floor.

She squirmed in her shackles as he progressed, and the second his cold fingers touched her skin, she pulled her hand roughly out of its restraint, slapping Kabuto across the face with an audible crack. As soon as she had done so, a snake jumped from its place on the floor and clamped its mouth on her free wrist, causing a small wince from the girl.

"Hm…I'll have to fix those. You're quite the feisty one…" He leaned in, his lips inches from hers. His breath was minty fresh, but it made Asami want to puke. Having him so close was disgusting. "I like feisty."

She scoffed. "How cliché."

At this Kabuto chuckled, walking around to inspect her backside. "How clever." He slapped her ass, enjoying every minute of his play.

Instinctively she tried thrust her body around to face him, but the shackles held her in place well. The snake further tightened its hold on her wrist, causing Asami to gasp slightly. The slight sound excited Kabuto and he wondered what she would sound like when he furthered his play.

He returned to the front of her, standing so close to her he could feel her hurried heartbeat through his whole body.

"Don't you dare touch me!" She spat at him, attempting to knee him in the shin, but without prevail.

Kabuto laughed morbidly, grabbing her chin and forcing her lips on his, enjoying her sweet taste. Her lips were forced shut, but rough bites from Kabuto made her gasp, creating an opening for Kabuto to force his tongue through. He explored every inch of her mouth with pleasure. His hands wandered to her butt, which he squeezed tightly, almost pinching with his nails through the thin lingerie.

The snake that imprisoned Asami's wrist began to drag it toward the silver-haired man, resting on his inner thigh. Asami gasped quickly at the movement, and struggled to rip her hands from the jaw of the reptile.

Kabuto grunted with satisfaction as Asami's hand continued to be pushed toward his dick, which was standing at full attention in his boxers. Dragging his hand around from Asami's ass to her approaching hand, Kabuto took control and led her hand to the erection, making her grab it and squeeze.

She gagged, but the lack of food in her stomach refrained her from puking. Kabuto was moaning from being handled so, and he thrust his head back with pleasure. One of his hands had crept to the edges of Asami's bottoms, prepared to pull them down.

Tears were now escaping from her eyes, and her body was shuddering from harsh sobs. "No-please don't!" Kabuto stopped abruptly, startled by her sudden plea. "Please…don't."

He watched her for a second, and then finally complied. "I won't…yet. You'll learn to enjoy yourself here. It's pleasant to be in your presence my dear." He grinned, playfully tugged at her panties, and walked away.

After a few minutes, a stout woman hobbled into the room, handcuffs in her hands. Soundlessly, she attached one end to the right wrist of the captured girl, the lone reptile in the room slithering away in an unspoken understanding.

The crooked woman looked to be about thirty, but was scarred and bent, calluses all over her hands and bare feet. She was wearing a simple maid's dress, the color of soot and a bit too big. She was much shorter than Asami, but had much strength in her body and mind, from what the young ninja could tell. Her eyes were a deep grey, close to her dress in color, but had signs of bravery and determination in them, which came with long years of knowledge.

She remained wordless, but the scuffing of her feet echoed around the plain room as she led Asami out into the hallway. Asami looked around nervously while they were in the hallway, now painfully aware how exposed she really was. The maid had simply rolled her eyes and kept pulling her along until they came to an extravagant door, a deep red with gold trimming.

When they entered, a small squeak was all that came from Asami's mouth. The first thing she saw was the king sized bed, covered in lush blankets and dozens of pillows. It looked as if it had come from a hotel's honeymoon suite. The maid pointed to the bed, and Asami complied, hurrying over and scooting under the comforter, enjoying the idea of sleep. The bent old woman scuffled out, dimming the lights. Asami closed her eyes and prayed this nightmare would end.

In the morning when Asami woke, the maid was there. Asami was ushered to a bathroom. Her handcuffs were taken off. The door was shut behind her, and a large shower seemed to open its arms to Asami. She discarded the little clothing she had on and jumped into the little glass enclosure. She sat on the floor of the shower for a while, but a knocking at the door crushed her sense of calm. Asami dried herself and wrapped a plush towel around herself, trudging out of the bathroom.

When she came out, the maid quickly clasped the handcuffs around Asami's wrists. There was a mahogany dresser, which the maid led Asami to.

Inside seemingly every drawer was lingerie or some sort of pornographic outfit that all, oddly, looked to fit Asami perfectly. There were thongs; bras that didn't even cover what they were designed to cover, skimpy bathing suits of gold and silver, and robes that were practically see-through they were so thin. The maid picked up a piece that was something resembling a group of chains that went from one breast to another.

Because Asami's hands were bound, the maid went around and began unsnapping the red bra and replacing it with the metal coil. The bottoms were similar to the top, small golden cords that made a thong.

The maid hobbled out with the discarded lingerie, leaving Asami in the golden chains in the middle of the room. Snakes were slithering around her, their tongues seeming to caress her ankles when they came too close.

Kabuto came not even a minute after the maid left, immediately inspecting Asami's body lustfully with a hungry grin. Snakes wrapped around her legs, making her immobile.

Asami's captor traced her curves with his rough fingers, licking his chops as he went along. She squirmed, but it did nothing but tempt Kabuto to explore further. He leaned in and sucked at her neck, causing her to moan slightly involuntarily. The sound excited Kabuto and he began to feel himself rising up again. He bit hard at that spot, earning him an even louder moan and a shudder.

His hands were on Asami's breasts, squeezing and twisting roughly. The moans came more throatily, sounding pained. Kabuto lowered his head to the mounds of flesh, licking around them and nipping here and there. She was gasping now, a sharp intake of breath sounding every time he bit her.

"Master Kabuto?" There was a voice from behind the door, and Asami thanked Kami for the distraction.

Kabuto growled with frustration, but got up and went through the door. The snakes did not follow, but Asami fell to the ground, crumpled up on the scarlet rug. _'Suigetsu…wherever you are…please, hurry.' _

* * *

The man fell easily, a muffled scream coming from his throat. The broad side of Suigetsu's sword connected with another man's ankles. The snapping of the bones in the opponent's legs was painfully loud. Karin had flinched from the horrid sound, but Imori, who was much closer, seemed to not even hear it. She went on, slashing through opponents like a hot knife through butter.

People were yelling all around, but the only noise that came from Suigetsu was the gritting of his teeth. They squealed in his head. The only thing that was keeping him from massacring everyone around him was the thought of killing Kabuto in the worst possible way.

"Suigetsu!" Karin waved him over, and, after felling the opponent in front of him, lunged over to her and began to pursuit the invisible line that Karin followed. Imori trailed them, but continued to fight off the defenses of Kabuto's lair.

'_Thank you Imori…I owe you one.' _Suigetsu carried on, hoping nothing would befall his old friend.


	5. Fight

"We have intruders sir." The man perched in front of the security cameras pointed to one of the many screens, his thick finger following a white-blonde head as it rushed through the crowd of defenses.

"Suigetsu." The name sounded like a curse upon Kabuto's tongue, and was spat out with disgust. "Of course he would try to save Asami." He turned on his heel and left, motioning at a few others to follow him.

Leading the way, the small group came to the lab, where he grabbed two vials of chakra stoppers. "Let's see Suigetsu work with this in his system."

They quickly exited the building, Kabuto anxious to be rid of the Mist-nin. '_He won't even see her before he dies._'

* * *

Imori glanced around, seeing her opponents closing in. _'Here goes nothing.' _Hand signs flew, and she morphed into the steel haired master of the goons before her.

"WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING? GO AFTER THEM!" The henchmen seemed surprised at the sudden appearance of their leader, but stood at attention never the less. "They went that way." Imori tried not to smirk, pointing in the complete opposite direction that Suigetsu and the red head were running.

The men looked at each other, skeptical looks on all of their faces, but Imori cleared her throat and stabbed her finger in the air, emphasizing her order. And so the henchman went, confusion and annoyance clear on their faces. Imori yelled at them once more to step on it, and once they were well out of earshot she rushed to the stronghold, hoping Suigetsu had some sort of lead now.

* * *

Suigetsu and Karin shot across the field like bullets. Suigetsu's teeth were ground together, bared like a cornered wildcat. Karin's face, however, was masked from any emotion.

She was pondering as to what Kabuto was doing. Karin had always admired Kabuto, but if he did anything to Asami…Karin didn't even like the girl, but when it comes to kidnapping and…well…assault standpoint made her skin crawl. She knew what it was like to be harassed, and if she knew a person having to go through it – even one she didn't particularly like, she would quickly become violent.

Karin's eyes slowly made their way to focus on Suigetsu. How did this affect him? If the very thought made her angry…then what is going through the Mist-nin's head? What if Kabuto had…? No. She couldn't think of that.

Pushing her vision foreword again, she realized there was a reitsu ahead.

It was Kabuto.

"Suigetsu…"

"I can smell him." Toxic poured from the words. Slightly disturbed, Karin glanced toward her team-mate. If looks could kill, Kabuto might as well be a pile of ash right now.

Suigetsu's fury somewhat startled Karin. She was used to the laid-back, flirty, and slightly rude Suigetsu. This new side of him scared her, quite frankly.

"Karin and Suigetsu. What an interesting couple to be traipsing around in my territory." Kabuto, using his body fire technique, rose from behind them, flames licking his feet and hands. Karin was about to assure him they were not a couple, but she was interrupted by the rising growl in her team-mate's throat.

Suigetsu raised his sword from its place on his back, his facial expression morphing from furious to murderous.

But Kabuto only laughed in the face of danger. "You can smell her on me, can't you? She's mesmerizing really. Orange blossoms…Oh, and it's even stronger in bed."

The Mist-nin snapped. He screamed like a madman, rushing at Kabuto with all his might. He swung his enormous sword in a wide arc, a bonfire ablaze in his violet eyes. Kabuto just continued to fuel that fire.

"She's a screamer. Not only the first time, but the second." He dodged as the sword pummeled by his head. "And the third. She's quite strong too. All those in one day and no fighting back."

Suigetsu continued his attacks, grunting disagreements. But Kabuto wouldn't let up.

"She enjoys it too. Her moaning is enough to get a dead man's blood rushing." He cackled. "She has magical hands."

The blade swung again, but this time, Kabuto caught it between his hands. He leaned close to his rival, as if to tell him a secret. "She'll even swallow when she's giving me a blowjob."

A cold, pale fist slammed against Kabuto's cheek, sending him staggering back. Suigetsu slammed the flat of his sword against the side of a surprised Kabuto. With a satisfying smack, he hit the ground, nearly unconscious from the flying weight of the decapitating knife.

Suigetsu was immediately on top of him throwing punches right and left. Blood came from Kabuto's mouth and nose like a river.

The enraged Mist-nin nearly jumped a foot off the ground when he felt a hand at his back. Whipping his head around, he found that the redhead had stayed with him. "Karin."

She silently walked around to Kabuto's face and studied it for a second. Then, her face contorted to disgust, and she shoved her heeled boot into the Sound-nin's nose. A sickening crunch pleased the ears of the two.

"Karin…go find Asami."

This shocked Karin. She thought for sure that Suigetsu would run off to find his beloved. "You want to finish him off?"

Violet eyes narrowed darkly. "I want to make sure he never even breathes again."

"He was lying you know. Asami's not stupid enough to do anything like that…with _him._" The last word was full of disgust and hate.

Suigetsu simply smiled morbidly. "Just go Karin."

She sighed, but turned around anyway, and as she took her first few steps to run off, she heard her former team-mate, in a lowered voice, utter the two words she didn't know he could say.

"Thank you."

* * *

Imori found Suigetsu quickly. He had, apparently, found Kabuto, and was watching his comrade leave the scene. She frowned. Glancing at her waist quickly, she was reminded of her assignment.

_Get the Sound ninja. We will need him in the future. Do whatever it takes to bring him back alive._

And Imori was going to do just that. She sneaked over to Kabuto's seemingly dead body, only to see his chest rise up only slightly. Relief spread through her body, only to be covered by dread. How was she going to get Kabuto away from a vengeful Suigetsu? She knew he would rip him limb from limb and then decapitate him just for good measure. _Literally._

She exhaled sharply through her nose sharply, wondering what to do. So, she just picked him up and slung him over her back. Imori was no petite girl, and she was almost Kabuto's size. Picking him up was not hard.

Of course, Suigetsu heard. He swung around, his giant, rather stupid looking sword nearly chopping her legs off. His eyes were wide, and he put his sword down instantly. "I..Imori? What are you doing?"

She sighed. Here was the hard part. Imori really didn't want to fight him, but it seemed that would be the only way out. "I gotta take him."

An eyebrow raised, and so did the oversized sword. "What are you, a bounty hunter or something?"

He got a laugh. "Actually, yes. And I'm protecting you, while doing this job."

She watched his eyes narrow. He stepped forward. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the Village of the Mist sees you as a threat. They think you want revenge for your brother's death. So, they have a nice, big price at your head. _I _am reducing that price so _you _don't die." The bounty hunter pushed Kabuto up. He was getting heavy…

"Well, you can't have him. I have to kill him."

His voice was dark and kind of…sexy really. _'Not the time to think about that Imori!'_ She shook her head quickly, attempting to shoot the thought down. "I can't let you do that." _'That's right, all business.'_

Suigetsu randomly shot forward, startling Imori. She dodged as best as she could with the dead weight on her back, and then dropped it and drew her dagger. All she had was the ice-pick type of thing Kabuto had given her to find Asami. She cursed under her breath.

The Mist ninja curved around toward her, raising his sword, only to stop inches from her face. Out of pure instinct, she slammed the dagger into his chest, hearing a few ribs crack. She only narrowly missed his heart.

His eyes, mirrored by Imori's pink ones, widened. She slipped away from under him, grabbing Kabuto and running as fast as she could away.


	6. Found

Karin followed Asami's trail, feeling strangely like a bloodhound. Everything was out of whack for her. Suigetsu had said two words she didn't think his vocal cords could even produce in the same sentence. _'Thank you.' _Would Asami laugh if Karin told her? Or would she have heard even more things from the Mist ninja that Karin thought was taboo on his lips? In that same manner, the low, pure statement, had he said the three most powerful words on the planet?

No. There was no way. Karin pulled her arms in closer to her, feeling cold begin to sweep through the seemingly abandoned building. Where had all the people gone? It was as if they suddenly just knew that Kabuto had been incapacitated and fled. It was so strange…

She turned the corner, and the temperature of the air continued to drop. She knew that Asami was down here, but she was scared about what she would find. What if Asami was so mentally scarred that she wasn't the same, sarcastic and pompous girl that Karin was so used to? And what would Suigetsu think?

The cold air thickened, enough to cut through with a pick axe. Karin's chest heaved. It seemed as if the cold was pouring into her lungs. Her breath came out in little clouds of warm air. Her throat was dry and tight. She could barely make a sound. Asami must have been causing this.

But she continued to follow Asami's trail, and she was led to a door that was covered in complete ice. The handle wouldn't even turn. Karin cleared her throat as best she could, sounding raspy and sick. "A…Asami!"

Behind the door, there was a sharp intake of breath, and Karin heard a snap. "Who are you?" Asami sounded strong and on edge, wary of her visitor.

"Karin…" The red head struggled with the word, but the door's coat of ice began to melt. After a minute of silence, she door creaked open slightly, and Karin tried to squeeze through the crack.

The door was thrust open, and Karin fell to the icy floor, Asami sitting on top of her with a sharp icicle right at her throat. She was wearing a see-through robe and bright red lingerie. Her green eyes were cold and terrible, bloodshot from no sleep.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Karin looked Asami up and down, from her pushed-up breasts to her tensed thigh muscles holding her captive down. "And how the hell did you get your thighs to be this strong?"

She shrugged and got off of Karin, dropping the ice dagger and helping her former team-mate up. "More importantly, why are you here?"

Karin looked her up and down again. "I cannot believe you are wearing lingerie."

Asami scowled, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, this, believe it or not, is the most covering thing that scumbag has in the wardrobe for me. I refuse to put on his clothes, 'cause who knows what went on in those." She rolled her eyes, attempting to go on as normal. But Karin could tell that she was different. Asami seemed so fragile, despite her violent manner.

"So. Tell me why you're here." Green eyes searched Karin's red ones.

"Suigetsu needed me to find you."

"Where is he?"

"Taking care of Kabuto." The cold air was brisk, and Karin's breath continued to come out in puffs of visible air. "You mind turning up the temperature? I think I'm about to freeze alive."

Asami grinned, but not maliciously so. The cold air subsided, and the room was once more the normal temperature it should have been. Karin was surprised that she didn't make it colder. "It's not my fault you're not dress appropriately." She laughed.

Karin was thoroughly confused. Asami was joking with someone she used to hate. Had this experience messed up her brain so much that she thought that they were friends? Or maybe because Karin had hypothetically 'saved' her, Asami was playing the friendly card. Either way, Karin didn't enjoy it.

"Hey, it was a joke. Don't take things so seriously." Asami punched Karin lightly on the shoulder, but there was something dark in her eyes. "I…I wonder what's taking him." She bit her lip.

The red head wanted to smile. She wanted to assure her Suigetsu was fine, but her thoughts were the same. He was sinister, but he usually didn't take this long to kill someone, especially if the safety of his 'beloved' was involved. Karin sighed. "I don't know, but we need to go. Is there anything you have that's more covering that _won't _give Suigetsu a boner?"

The brunette rolled her eyes, but darkness clouded them.

* * *

Suigetsu couldn't register what had just happened. If he was water, it shouldn't have hurt…yet there was blood on his hands and running down his shirt from the huge gash that lay on his heaving chest. '_What is going on?'_

Adrenaline pumped through his veins. It had been a while since Karin had left, and he needed to find Asami, regardless of Kabuto dead or not. Suigetsu ripped his thick shirt off, taking the inner layer and tearing it into strips to wrap his wound. Ribs were cracked, and it hurt to breath, but he knew he had to push forward.

Running wasn't an option. Not with Suigetsu's sword seemingly increasing weight on his back. The injured man glanced from his sword to the building ahead. The ground around him was cracked, and there wasn't a tree in sight. "I can't leave it here." _'But I have to get to Asami…before I pass out.'_ He bit his lip.

One step in front of the other, Suigetsu dragged himself forward, focusing on the image of Asami's face in his mind.

Asami and Karin left after not finding any suitable clothes, and Karin watched as the worry continued to consume the other girl's face entirely. It had been easily an hour, and although Suigetsu had a sense of direction like a five year-old, it was odd for him not to have found them by now.

The light at the end of the tunnel led them to the outside, where there was no sign of the Mist-nin anywhere. The sun was falling, a red sky fading quietly on the dead plains. The clouds were heavy with anticipated rain, dark and angry. But there was no wind.

Asami, abandoning the casual and light pace, set off at full sprint.

* * *

**Okay guys, I really apologize for the short chapter and the long wait…I know it's upsetting. I really, really want to make it up to ya'll, but I have no idea where to go now. **

**My general idea for this story has gone completely off track, and I love how it is right now, but I can't think of what goes next. So…and I can't believe it…I'm begging for ideas. Message me, don't leave it in a review. Or, you could offer to be a beta, 'cause a second opinion would make my life so much easier right now.**

**School is dragging me into its depths, so chapters will be kinda sparse. But I'm trying my best for you guys!**

**Thanks, **

**~riko.**


	7. Jaded

A sense of panic had captured Asami's heart as she ran into the darkness of the storm. She could see a ragged form in the distance, and her dread deepened when that figure collapsed. Increasing her speed, Asami completely forgot Karin, who was far behind now, and focused on the man in front of her.

The dust around Asami floated in the air, coating her throat and making it hard to breathe. She knelt next to the fallen ninja, hoping for any sign of life. His chest didn't even seem to be moving.

Cursing under her breath in hysteria, she turned him over and placed her lips on his, pushing air down his throat. When she came back up for air, she held his head in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. The salty tears, darkened by the dirt on her face, dripped quietly onto Suigetsu's face.

Asami peeled Suigetsu's shirt off quickly and found a giant wound in his chest, so close to his heart, Asami's nearly stopped. "Suigetsu…what happened to you?" The shirt was ripped into bandages, and Asami wrapped his torso quickly. "Stay with me babe, stay with me." Her breath was ragged, but she still worked.

"Asami?"

The brunette jumped at the sudden words, and Karin knelt beside her comrade. "What the hell happened?" There was a gash as big as Karin's hand on Suigetsu's chest, scarily close to his heart. Red eyes widened. "How is he bleeding?"

Asami's head jerked up, realizing what she had ignored otherwise. Why _was _Suigetsu bleeding? He was supposed to just change to water and that would be the end of that. But here he was, laying in practically his deathbed, bleeding his insides out. Fear that was only in her throat before now flooded through her like a tidal wave, rocking all the way down to her toes and rebounding to the split ends in her unkempt hair.

"Open his mouth." Karin knelt beside the unconscious boy and placed her skin close to his sharp teeth. His breathing was ragged and pained, his chest barely moving below the bodies of the girls tending to him.

Asami did as she was told and watched as Karin did her best to make Suigetsu bite her. His would on his chest covered with a thin layer of skin, but the inside wasn't even close to fixed.

Karin as beginning to look weary.

"Karin, stop. He's well enough now and I can't get through the night watching over both of you…" When the pink haired girl didn't comply, Asami pushed her arm roughly away from Suigetsu's ajar mouth.

They sat in silence for a while. Karin knelt staring at the cracked ground beneath them, her eyes vacant as heavy drops of rain began to fall onto her head. Asami's own tears began to blend with the muddy water slipping into the cracks.

Suigetsu stayed a complete solid, his body's movements close to nothing. Rain drops rolled over his skin, making his cracked lips moist and his bloody chest becoming an ugly scarlet color again.

Footsteps, splashing though the water and slapping the mud underneath their fast pace, were approaching. Karin's head didn't turn. She knew they were coming. She normally would have jumped up at the presence behind her, but something stopped her. Perhaps it was her lack of energy, or perhaps it was the fact that the sight before her scared and confused her too much to pull up an act of sensuality.

"Karin." The man's deep voice, one that Asami had not heard for quite some time but was all too familiar and cold surprised her. She jumped slightly and turned, her body shielding Suigetsu in a somewhat animalistic way.

Onyx eyes studied the barely clothed girl who was so different from before. Her soul was broken, her eyes haunted with something that hadn't been there previously. She was on the fringes of hysteria, crouching over an unconscious man looking like a rabid mother bear protecting its cub.

Juugo also noticed Asami's hysteria and gently knelt beside her, putting his hand lightly on her shoulder. The brunette flinched under his big hand. Coldness and fear passed over her dulled eyes. She was jaded.

Karin scooted closer to Asami and helped her up, nodding at Juugo to pick up Suigetsu. They had to get him to a warm bed and out of the dirt and rain. His chest was beginning to heal but the forced healing made the skin weak. You could practically see his heart beating.

* * *

Immense pain. Asami felt as though her skin was going to rip open from the inside. Her heart felt like a block of ice, not even beating within her chest. Suigetsu just laid there. He hadn't woken up yet. It had been two days.

She was getting cabin fever. Keeping her post for hours on end, only leaving when she absolutely had to. Her eyes almost never closed.

Even in the briefest of blinks she could feel hands on her, ropes holding her down over a plush blanket. That rasping, sly voice that haunted her when she could sleep and kept her awake when she couldn't. She could practically feel his breath against her ear. She could feel his body pressed down on hers no matter how hard she struggled. Not even a blanket was light enough to use. She could practically feel skin through something as thin as that blanket, like a whisper of lust from the man that crept in the alleys of her mind. Her new clothes that Karin had bought for her were the only things that made her comfortable.

Almost all of her skin was covered. She hid her neck. The marks he left there were too much to bear. Even her feet were covered. All Asami wanted was to hide.

And for Suigetsu to wake up.

* * *

**Did you miss me?**

**I missed writing this. Only problem was I had the worst case of writer's block I've ever had. I know, this is everyone's excuse, but believe me. Even physical things were holding me back.**

**You see, I'd love to get into the juicy gossip as to what has been distracting me these past THREE MONTHS (Christ help me), but you don't want to hear about my life. **

**You want to hear Asami's I'm sure.**

**I would honestly love to know what happens, and I'm doing my best to figure that out myself.**

**So in the meantime, I have something of a plan that will involve new people! Don't worry, Sasuke won't be around for long.**

**The song for this chapter is KISS IT BETTER by HE IS WE. The reason I capped this is because caps attract people's attention, and if they're skimming this, they saw it and read it. Hi skimmers!**

**I also want people to know about He is We because they are AMAZING. (HELLO AGAIN SKIMMERS) **

**Alright, I got off track. But that train's been gone for a while sooo….yeah.**

**See y'all next chapter.**

**~riko**


	8. Silence

The rain outside hadn't let up in days.

The town they were squatting in was practically empty, and the current weather left everyone inside. Mostly Sasuke went out every day to meet with Tobi and receive new missions for the newly formed Hawk, in which he and Juugo would leave and get it done quickly enough to return and check on Suigetsu.

Asami hadn't slept since she was back. There were bags under her eyes darker than the night sky, and her usually bright demeanor was replaced with a hollow shell of her former self. She would just stare out the window of the room, her skin completely covered in a thick layer of ice. Everyone avoided her, and though Juugo sometimes tried to communicate with her and try to get her to eat and sleep, she just ignored him and continued to stare outside. When he had touched her shoulder ice immediately surrounded his arm, and it took Sasuke's sword to break it off.

Meanwhile, Suigetsu was still unconscious, his wound being bound every hour and always watched over by someone in team Hawk. Every day they pushed his teeth into Karin's skin, and in time his wound became stable enough to heal on its own.

Some nights Juugo and Karin could hear Asami move from her usual window-side post and sit next to Suigetsu. She would sit with him, not touching him, but would whisper things that her two comrades couldn't quite make out. In the early hours of the mornings when Sasuke would begin to rise, she would quietly move back to the window, ice chipping off of her and falling to the floor, melting into puddles on the cheap wooden floors.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Suigetsu woke one morning. The rain had cleared and the wet ground and sunny green hills had pulled Asami out of the house at dawn. The sky was pink and called to her.

She wasn't there when violet eyes opened. They winced at the sunlight that hadn't shown its rays in a week. The pink haired girl had jumped up when the body under the covers shifted. "Suigetsu?"

The voice, to the boy, was relieved, but not one he was hoping for. He couldn't place whose voice it was, and hoped with all his heart it didn't belong to the blonde that haunted his dreams.

"Juugo! He's awake. Go find Asami." The large man nodded and slipped out the door to find the silent member of their group while Karin leaned over the now-woken Suigetsu.

"How are you feeling?"

Suigetsu didn't reply, just looked up at her with glazed-over eyes and slightly parted lips. He wasn't seeing Karin, only a silhouette against the sharp light in the room. Suddenly his eyes focused.

"K…Karin?" Violet eyes looked up in disbelief, and then searched around the room for Asami. No one but he and Karin were there.

"Asami went outside for some fresh air. It's been three weeks that she's stayed inside with you…it's been raining the whole time." Karin motioned for the wounded boy to stay down and moved across the room for the screaming kettle. Into a cheap, chipped cup she poured steaming tea and handed it to Suigetsu. "She'll be relieved when she sees you. She might even talk."

The Uchiha boy entered the room, only acknowledging Suigetsu with a slight nod before pouring himself a glass of tea and giving Karin the cold shoulder when she offered to pour it for him.

"What do you mean she might talk?" Suigetsu looked up to his former comrades for answers and only got turned heads and eyes that darkened with looks of worry.

Finally the raven-haired boy spoke. "She hasn't spoken or slept since we've come here with you two. All she did was stare out the window and at night sit by your bedside. She only eats. But this morning when the sun rose instead of more rainclouds, she left. I don't know if it was just for a walk or leaving for good.

"Karin told us what happened to her, and it's no surprise that she avoids sleep. For all that we know Kabuto isn't dead and he'll haunt her nightmares as long as she knows that. And perhaps longer." Sasuke took a casual sip of his tea and nodded at Suigetsu to Karin, at which she knelt beside Suigetsu and began to assess his wounds.

Suddenly the door slammed open, and Asami, looking much better than before, ran into the room. A breath of relief escaped her lips, but her eyes were full of determination.

"Suigetsu. Tell me who did this to you."

All of them, including Juugo, who had just come in, stopped short at the sound of her voice. It was raspy but had the aura of a killer. Her face was stone cold and hid her thoughts, but her wavering voice gave her emotion away. They all knew exactly what she was going to do.

"Asami, I know you're angry. But you're in no condition to go anywhere. You're running on no sleep after three weeks and you're practically a mental case. You're jaded and you shouldn't be alone." Karin's short speech earned a look that could sever heads from the green eyed girl.

Asami looked to Sasuke, and he nodded slowly, earning gasps of dismay from the group. The brunette knelt beside Suigetsu and reached out to him, cupping his cheek with rough yet gentle hands. "Suigetsu, whoever did this took away your water. You're a solid like the rest of us. You need to heal up, and there's no way you can do that normally if we sit here and wait. You need to tell me who did this so I can go ahead and fix it."

Suigetsu looked at her for a long time and finally lowered his head, taking her hand in both of his. "Imori…she took Kabuto away before I could kill him…and stabbed me. I'm pretty sure it was on accident though…"

Without another word, Asami stood and took a small bag from the corner of the room. Nodding to her friends, she slipped through the door silently, and Sasuke kept her unfollowed behind her.

* * *

**Alright. We're finally getting somewhere.**

**Surprising, ain't it? Anywho, I'd like to thank all of you who review. It really makes my day when I open up my phone and check my email and it says there are actually people that like the shit I put up here.**

**Alrighty, I'm going to end this. New chapter should be up in…forever. Don't worry though. I'm starting to get to the part of school where homework becomes scarce and teachers start to give up. We've almost got 'em cracked!**

**Cheerio,**

**Marieke**


	9. Revenge

A red sun rose over Asami's head. She was already on the move after a night's heavy rain. Wisps of drying hair hovered around her cheeks like a halo in the morning sun's rays. Her bones ached from the weather and three days' run, but stopping wasn't an option. Killer instinct from years of growing up as an experiment raced through her veins, filling her heart with hatred. She was taught to pursuit and kill, an assassin of silence and skill.

She still wasn't used to moving alone, with only the trees and open sky around her. She hadn't heard the breath or beating of a human heart since she had left, and the memory of Suigetsu's tattered body and weary face only fueled the fire in her chest.

Tying her hair back, green eyes surveyed the surroundings. The forests were becoming sparser, and the climate warmer as she headed south. Soon she would get on a ferry to an island where she had figured this old 'friend' of Suigetsu's had been from. Then she could find out some information and hopefully catch her and teach her a lesson.

With gritted teeth, Asami quickened her pace, promising herself in the back of her mind a rest at the next town.

* * *

Kaito's hair fluttered in the cool breeze that was not uncommon for his home island, Kozushima. He wondered, not for the first time, what his sister was doing. She had been gone for quite some time, and she had promised to help him train for his exams.

Running a hand through his blonde hair, Kaito backed into the house. It was dark and unkept – as it always was when his sister was away. Kaito was only thirteen, and the oldest one in his family was his eighteen year old sister, Imori. She was always away for work, and, much to Kaito's annoyance was usually gone for weeks at a time.

Dark clouds were gathering over the sunrise, which was dark red. _Blood has been shed when a red sun rises._ Kaito watched the ships come into the docks just like every morning in hopes to catch a glimpse of his sister's yellow sail boat.

He looked up at the road, seeing the old inn keeper talking to a person in a long dark robe. The inn keeper pointed down the road to Kaito's house. The robed person nodded deeply to the old man and began to walk towards Kaito's house.

_I wonder who that could be._

"Kaito?"

Kaito jumped halfway out of his skin. His sister, Imori, was standing behind him, sipping from the cup of tea he had just made. "Imori-ne!" Jumping to hug her, the hooded person slipped from his mind.

"It's good to be home." Imori slipped her bag from her back and rested it in the corner, papers slipping from the top. Her journal was overflowing from her extensive travels. She pulled a small metal vial from a side pocket and pressed it into Kaito's palm. "I need you to do me a favor Kaito."

He looked at the vial. It was notched with a few numbers and was about as long as his thumb. "I don't understand." He tried to hand it back to his sister, but she shook her head.

"It's high time you left the village. I need you to give this to an old friend. You remember Suigetsu, don't you?" She smiled that smile she always got when she spoke of him – but it was sadder now. "I'm afraid that I can't give it to him myself. He's very angry at me…" She ran her fingers through her blonde hair. Kaito had always been jealous of his sister's looks. She was just like their mom – tan skin, blonde hair, and pink eyes. Kaito was fair with dark brown hair and flat eyes of grey.

Kaito opened his mouth to ask his sister what happened while she was gone, but the sadness in her eyes stopped him.

"It's very urgent Kaito. You should leave soon. Take my bag – everything you need is in there." She looked out the window and froze; her eyes wide.

"Sister?" Kaito turned to see the cloaked figure standing in their doorway.

"Imori." The person was a woman. She pulled her hood back to reveal light brown hair and flashing green eyes, full of hatred and anger.

"Shit. Kaito, run!" Imori shoved the bag into Kaito's arms, pushing him the back of the house. The pages of Imori's journal fell all over the floor.

The cloaked stranger leapt at Imori, knocking her through the thatched walls of the house. She pulled a kunai out of her cloak and pinned her to the ground. Although Kaito lunged at her to save his sister, the brown haired woman pushed him away, knocking the vial out of his hands. He scrambled to get it, but the woman placed her foot on it. Imori was unconscious.

Kaito stared at the menacing woman above him, his hand inches away from the important vial his sister had given him. She pulled out her sword, the green in her eyes darkening as she placed the tip of her sword on Kaito's neck. "Who are you?"

Gulping, Kaito tried to sound brave. "I-Imori's brother." He stammered his sister's name. She looked so weak laying there. She had a small dart in her chest – probably tranquilizer.

The woman frowned and pressed her blade gently into his skin. "What is your name child?"

Kaito tried to fight the tears coming to his eyes. "What do you want with my sister?" The sword pressed deeper into his skin, but stopped suddenly. The woman's eyes were distant and calculating.

"Leave." She kept her sword at his neck, but pulled him to stand. "Run away from here. You take nothing." When Kaito didn't move, she moved her sword to Imori with a speed he couldn't follow. "Either you watch while she dies and are killed after her, or you leave now. She would want you to live." Her foot was still on the vial, which was long forgotten by Kaito.

"P-please don't kill my sister…" Kaito whimpered, but was taking off the bag.

"Leave! And tell no one what has happened. I will find you and I will kill you." The woman pressed her sword against Imori's chest right above the heart. With one last sob, Kaito fled from his home and his sister with a silent goodbye.

* * *

May 3rd

Kabuto is healing well despite his injuries. I wonder a lot if Suigetsu is recovering from the wound I left. My client promised that Suigetsu's bounty would be taken down, but according to the papers he gave me on Suigetsu, he shouldn't have been injured when I attacked him.

Kabuto was probably behind it all. He had assisted Orochimaru with the experiments that Suigetsu and _Asami_ went through.

Maybe I'll go see Kaito soon.

May 7th

Turns out Kabuto is behind Suigetsu's injuries. He injected him with something when they fought, and now without the antidote he'll die. I'm going to figure out what the antidote is and give it to Suigetsu. Hopefully I can get there on time.

May 17th

I stole the antidote before I left for home. I'll give the antidote to my brother, Kaito, to give to Suigetsu. He needs to get out of that house anyway.

* * *

With the slight tinge of burning flesh mixing with the burning wood and thatch before her, Asami looked over the pages once more. Glancing at the small vial in her hand and clenching it, she pushed the last of the tasteless food she had taken from the house down her throat and turned. She cast the pages into the burning house and left, knowing the longer she stayed the more likely she would be caught.

Asami felt the flames at her back as she remembered the words she had said what seemed like a year ago. _"__I'm trying to figure out why someone would do that to a child."_ Looking at her hands, free of blood, she cursed at herself. _Letting him go will come back to haunt me._


End file.
